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Online Program

333899
Geographic Variation in the Length of in-Hospital Stay for Alzheimer 's disease in Nebraska


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Samuel Opoku, MBChB, PhD, Health Policy and Management, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Bettye Apenteng, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Ge Lin, PhD, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Background and Objective

In 2014, an estimated 5.2 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This number is expected to rise given the aging of the population. The purpose of this study was to explore geographic variations and trends in length of stay AD-related hospitalizations in the state of Nebraska.

Method

 We used the Nebraska Hospital Discharge Data for 2005 to 2011. Data was restricted to primary and secondary diagnoses of AD. This data was merged with the 2008 Census Bureau Data for census tract-level socioeconomic and demographic factors. We run a generalized mixed linear regression model to account for clustering at the individual, hospital and geographic level. Statistical significance was assessed at the p<0.05 level. SAS 9.3 was used for the analysis.

Results

 Results indicated that AD patients in rural Nebraska stayed shorter in hospitals compared to urban residents. The mean length of stay in 2005 was 5.5 days [CI: 5.3-5.8] and in 5.1 days [CI: 4.8-5.3] 2011. There was no consistent and statistically significant temporal trend in the length of hospital stay for patients with AD observed. Additional factors associated with AD length of hospital stay included gender, age, referral source and having Medicaid insurance.

Conclusion

 The length of hospital stay for AD patients admitted in Nebraska’s hospitals did not change between 2005 and 2011. Rural AD patients tend to have shorter length of stay.

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
Assess the geographic variation and trends in the length of in-hospital stay for patients with Alzheimer's disease in Nebraska

Keyword(s): Aging, Hospitals

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Samuel Opoku has completed his PhD in Health Services Research Administration and Policy and is currently an instructor at Georgia Southern University
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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